Canute

Also represented as Cnut, Knut. — (WPT)

From CANUTE The Great (1912) by Laurence Marcellus Larson

By his first wife, the Polish princess* who was renamed Gunhild, Sweyn had several children, of whom history makes prominent mention of three : Harold, Canute, and Gytha, who was married to Earl Eric of Norway. In the Hyde Register there is mention of another daughter, Santslaue, "sister of King Canute"¹ who may have been born of the same marriage, as her name is evidently Slavic.   (Etc.)

    ¹ Liber Vitæ, 58.   Steenstrup suggests that the name may be Slavic and calls attention to the Slavic form Sventoslava (Venderne og de Danske, 64-65.).

( pages 56-57 )

    * Gunhild, 'the Polish princess', was born of Mieszko I, the first Polish ruler to have establihed relations with Rome, by his Bohemian (Czech) wife Dobrawa. The name given her at birth was apparently Świętosława ; it seems that the daughter ('sister of King Canute') was also named Świętosława — unless there be some mistakes somewhere. — (WPT)

 

So far as the Empire had any capital, that distinction appears to have belonged to the ancient city of Winchester. Here in the heart of Wessex was the seat of English government, the royal and imperial residence. We naturally think of Canute's household as an English court ; bit it is difficult to determine what racial influences were in actual control. Nor do we know what was the official language in Canute's royal garth ; but the probabilities are that both Old English and Old Norse were in constant use. The housecarles who guarded the royal person and interests ere in large part of Scandinavian birth or blood. The Norse poets who sang praise-lays in the royal hall at Winchester sang in their native dialects. Of the King's thegns who witnessed Canute's land grants, as a rule about one half bear Scandinavian names ; there can be little doubt that most of these were resident at court, at all events those whose names appear in more than one document.

Other nationalities, too, were represented at Winchester. In the enrollment of housecarles, the King asked for strength, valour, wealth, and aristocratic birth ; not, it seems, for Danish or English ancestry. The bishops that Canute sent from England to Denmark appear to have been Flemings or Lotharingians. William who in a later reign became bishop of Roeskild is said to have come to Denmark as Canute's private secretary or chancellor ; but William is neither a Northern nor a Saxon but a Norman name. And thus with Dane and Angle, Norman and Norseman, Swede and Saxon, Celt and German thronging the royal garth the court at Winchester must have borne an appearance that was distinctly non-English. As at other courts, men came and went ; and the stories of the splendours at Winchester were given wide currency. The dissatisfied Norsemen who sought refuge in England found at Canute's court greater magnificence than in any other place, both as to the number in daily attendance and as to the furnishings and equipments of the palaces that he owned and occupied.¹

Sighvat the Scald, who had seen Rouen and visited Rome, was so deeply impressed with the glories of Canute's capital that in his praise lay he introduced the refrain :

Canute was under heaven The most glorious King.2

There seems also to have been a notable Slavic element in Canute's retinue. Attention has been called to the King's Slavic ancestry ; the Slavic strain was evidently both broader and deeper than the Danish. One of the King's sisters bore a Slavic name, Santslave³ another sister, Gunhild, married a Slavic "king", Wyrtgeorn or Wyrtgeorn,¹ who may have been the Wrytsleof who witnessed an English land grant in 1026² ; possibly he was visiting his English kinsfolk at the time. Among the chiefs of the imperial guard was one Godescalc, the son of a Slavic prince, though Danish on the maternal side ; he, too, married into the Danish royal family.³

    ¹ Snorre, Saga of Saint Olaf, c. 130.
    ² Corpus Poeticum Boreale, ii., 135-136.
    ³ Steenstrup, Venderne og de Danske, 64-65.   The name occurs in the Liber Vibæ' [sic, 'vitae'?] of Winchester in a list of benefactors.   See above p. 57.     [end p. 262 -- WPT.]
    ¹ Steenstrup, Venderne og de Danske, 65.   Florence of Worcester, Chronicon, i., 199.
    ² Kemble, Codex Diplomaticus, No. 743.
    ³ After Canute's death, Godescalc returned to his native country and took up the cause of Christian mission effort among the heathen Wends.   Adamus, Gesta, cc. 64, 75.

( pp. 261-263 )

CANUTE THE GREAT   995 (circ)-1034 by L.M. Larson
New York and London : Putnam 1912.

Selected bibliographic

Author Larson, Laurence Marcellus. Title Canute the Great 995 (circ.)-1035 and the rise of Danish imperialism during the viking age, Publisher New York London, G. P. Putnam's sons, 1912. Description 3 p.l., v-xvii p., 1 l., 375 p. front., illus., plates, maps. 20 cm.

Author Liljencrantz, Ottilie Adelina, 1876-1910. Title The ward of King Canute; a romance of the Danish conquest, written by Ottilie A Liljencrantz, having pictures by Troy & Margaret West Kinney. Publisher Boston : Small, Maynard, [c1903] Description 382 p. col. front., 22cm. Note Title in red and black within ornamental border.

Author Steenstrup, Johannes C. H. R. (Johannes Christoffer Hagemann Reinhardt), 1844-1935. Title Venderne og de danske f�r Valdemar den Stores tid. Af Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup, med et kort over �sters�landene, samt en i texten trykt tegning af byen Wollin. Imprint Kj�benhavn, Universitetsbogtrykkeriet (J. H. Schultz) 1900. LOCATION CALL NO. STATUS Humanities-Genrl Res GHM (Steenstrup, J. C. H. R. Venderne og de Danske f�r Valdemar den Stores Tid) MISSING Location Humanities-Genrl Res Descript viii, 122 p. fold. map. Note At head of title: Indbydelsesskrift til Kj�benhavns universitets aarsfest til erindring om kirkens reformation. "Liste over akademiske grader erhervet af videnskabsmaend, 1899-1900": p.[123]-150. Subject Sorbs. Denmark -- History -- To 1241.
[ Source : New York Public Library http://catnyp.nypl.org/search~/t?SEARCH=venderne

Book clearly marked as 'missing'. The University of California Library shows no entry in the catalog. Why no microfilm copies are available ?

There are patterns can be seen : graft and/or stealing by some communist or other agents seems the most probable reason for this title not to be there.

On any account, the title seems worthy attention towards preservation. — (WPT, 28 Nov 04) ]

Uniform Title [ Encomium Emmae reginae, Richardi I ducis Normannorum filiae.] Title Cnutonis regis gesta: sive, Encomium Emmae reginae, auctore monacho Sancti Bertini. In usum scholarum ex Monumentis Germaniae historicis recudi fecit, Georgius Heinricus Pertz. Publisher Hannoverae, Impensis Bibliopolii Hahniani, 1865. Description viii, 39 p. 23 cm. Series Scriptores rerum germanicarum in usum scholarum ex Monumentis Germaniae historicis recudi fecit Georgius Heinricus Pertz.

Author Cancellieri, Francesco, 1751-1826. Title Notizie della venuta in Roma di Canuto II e di Cristiano I re di Danimarca negli anni 1027, e 1474 : e di Federico IV giunto a Firenze con animo di venirvi nel 1708 / raccolte da Francesco Cancellieri. Publisher Roma : Presso Francesco Bourli�, 1820. Description 68 p. ; 30 cm. Note "In occasione della Faustissima permanenza in Roma delle LL.AA.RR. il Principe Ereditario di Danimarca Cristiano Federico e Carolina Amalia sotto i nomi de Conte e Contessa di Oldembourg con la Biblioteca degli Scrittori delle Cose Danesi." Note Includes bibliographical references and index. Language Italian

Author Du Chesne, Andr�, 1584-1640. Title Histori� Normannorvm scriptores antiqvi, res ab illis per Galliam, Angliam, Apvliam, Capv� principatvm, Siciliam, & Orientem gestas explicantes, ab anno Christi DCCCXXXVIII. ad annvm MCCXX. Insert� svnt monasteriorvm fvndationes vari�, series episcoporum ac abbatum: genealogi� regum, ducum, comitum, & nobilium: plvrima deniqv alia vetera, tam ad profanam qu�m ad sacram illorum temporum historiam pertinentia. Ex mss. codd. omnia fer� nvnc primvm edidit Andreas Dvchesnivs Tvronensis. Publisher Lvteti� Parisiorvm, 1619. Description 6 p. l., 1104, [14] p., 1 l. 35 cm. Note Title vignette, engraved (device of publisher) Colophon: Lvtetiae Parisiorvm, apud Robertum Fo�et, Nicolaum Buon, Sebastainum Cramoisy, M.DC.XIX. According to preface this collection was to consist of 3 vols; no more published. --Gesta Stephani regis Anglorum et ducis Normannorum.--Chronica Normanniae continens multa ad Francos & Anglos pertinentia, ab anno MCXXXIX. ad annum MCCLIX.--Annalis historia breuis in Monasterio sancti Stephani Cadomensis conscripta.--Catalogi varij nobilium Normannorum, qui floruerunt in Anglia tempore Guillelmi Conqu�storis.--Nomina militum ferentium bannerias in Normannię et alijs Franciae prouincijs, tempore Philippi II. r.F.--Feoda Normanniae.--Scriptum de seruitijs militum, quae debentur duci Normannię.--Officium ad ducem Normannię constituendium.--Chartae plures regum Francię, ducum comitum, & aliorum nobilium, quae in hoc volumine deducuntur. Contents Gesta Normannorum ante Rollonem ducem, ab anno scilicet Christi DCCCXXXVII. ad annum DCCCXCVI.--Chronici Rheginonis abbatis prumiensis excerptum, de Normannorum gestis.--Annalium in Fuldensi monasterio scriptorum excerptum, de Danis & Normannis.--Alia variorum chronicorum excerpta de Normannis.--Abbonis De obsessa � Normannis Lutetia Parisiorum libri duo.--Dudonis decani S. Quintini, De moribus & gestis primorum Normanniae ducum libri tres.--Emmae, Anglorum reginae, Richardi I. ducis Normannorum filiae, encomium.--Gesta Guillelmi II., ducis Normannorum, regis Anglię I. � Guillelmo Pictauensi, Lexouiorum archidiacono scripta.--VVillelmi Calculi Gemmeticensis monachi, Historiae Normannorum libri VIII.--Orderici Vitalis Angligenae, coenobij Vticensis, seu sancti Ebrulfi, presbyteri et monachi, Historiae ecclesiasticae libri XIII.